Image display device

ABSTRACT

In an image display device, the number of parts is reduced through simplification of fixing members for use in fitting a display panel to a front frame. Design of the device is improved by thinning the front upper side of the front frame and by getting fixing members out of sight on the back upper side thereof. The front frame has hooks, which are produced integrally with the front frame, on its upper back so as to position the display panel. The upper side of the front frame is not screwed. Instead, the hooks so act as to prevent the display panel from falling off the front frame. A back cover has ribs, which are produced integrally with the back cover, in its portion facing the hook. The ribs so act as to prevent the hook from moving beyond predetermined distance, thereby ensuring the positioning of the display panel.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application relates to and claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2010-042151 filed on Feb. 26, 2010, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

This invention relates to image display devices and more particularly toan image display device in which the number of parts is reduced.

(2) Description of the Related Art

An image display device adopting a liquid crystal display panel or aplasma display panel for its display part is being made larger andthinner. In parallel with them, the device is being made to have lessnumber of parts and to become simpler in its production method to meetstrong market demands for a lower price.

In order to reduce the number of parts and simplify the productionmethod of a thin display device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-OpenNo. 2007-333911 discloses an assembling method in which the device hasfitting tabs formed integrally with an optical display system unitincluding a display panel and the fitting tabs are held between a frontcabinet and a rear cabinet so as to be screwed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the latest image display device, its exterior frame, which surroundsa display part when viewed from the front of the device, is desired tobe thin. This requires that components for fitting the display part tothe exterior from its inside should be simple. This is effective inreducing the number of parts as well. A thin (low in height) front frameon its upper side in particular is important from the viewpoint ofdesign as well, and hence it is desirable for things like screwingmembers not to be placed in this portion.

From the viewpoint of design, it is also desired that, on the upper sideof the exterior, such fixing members as fitting screws should be out ofsight from outside on the back of the image display device as well as onits front.

The method for fixing a display part and an exterior by screwing,disclosed in aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2007-333911, does not take such demands into consideration.

In view of foregoing problems, it is an object of the present inventionto provide an art favorable for reducing the number of parts, therebyreducing the cost of an image display device and improving its design.

The invention provides an image display device comprising a displaypanel for displaying images, a front frame to which the display panel isto be fitted, and a back cover fitted to the front frame so as to coverthe back of the display panel, wherein the front frame has a hook forpositioning the display panel on the upper side of the display panel.

The invention also provides the image display device, wherein the hookfaces a part of the upper side of the display panel in the thicknesswisedirection of the display panel, the front end of the hook facing a partof the back of the display panel so as to position the display panel.

The invention further provides the image display device, wherein thehook is formed integrally with the front frame.

The invention furthermore provides the image display device, wherein theback cover has a rib facing the hook on its side opposite to the onefacing the display panel in its thicknesswise direction.

The invention moreover provides the image display device, wherein therib is formed integrally with the back cover.

The present invention can provide an image display device in which thenumber of parts is reduced, thereby contributing to cost reduction anddesign improvement of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view in perspective of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view in perspective of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another rear view in perspective of an image display device inone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view in perspective of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention. A display panel 1 is equipped witha liquid crystal panel or a plasma panel, the image display side ofwhich is shown here. The exterior of the image display device has afront frame 2 and a back cover 3. When the device is assembled, thedisplay panel 1 is firstly fitted to the front frame 2, and the backcover 3 is then fitted to the front frame 2.

FIG. 2 is a rear view in perspective of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention, drawn from the left side of FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, when the back cover 3 is fitted to the front frame2, fitting screws 311, 312, and 313 are used to fix them on the rightside in FIG. 2 of the back cover 3. While the same fitting screws mayexist on the left side or the lower side of the back cover 3 as a matterof course, it is a feature of this embodiment that they do not exist onthe upper side thereof. This arrangement helps to eliminate fixingmembers like fitting screws from the upper side of the exterior, therebymeeting aforementioned demands on design. No need for screwing memberson the upper side of the front frame 2 also leads to a reduction in thenumber of parts, and makes it possible to thin (lower in height) theupper side of the front frame 2, thereby meeting aforementioned demandson design as well. Note that, while there are shown three fitting screws311, 312, and 313 on the right side of the back cover 3, they are justan example and, as a matter of course, do not constitute a limitingcondition for this invention.

FIG. 3 is another rear view in perspective of an image display device inone embodiment of the present invention. In contrast with the rearperspective view in FIG. 2, the drawing illustrates a state in whichfixing elements for the back cover 3, which include the fitting screws311, 312, and 313, are removed and the back cover 3 is moved obliquelyleftward on this side.

The back of the display panel 1 is illustrated with the panel fitted tothe front frame 2. As is seen in FIG. 3, this embodiment does notspecify a method for fixing the display panel 1 to the front frame 2 onits lower, left, or right side. One example of the method may be toprovide the front frame 2 with positioning members for supporting thelower side of the display panel 1 and, upon mounting the panel 1thereon, to fix the panel 1 to bosses provided on the front frame 2through such means as screwing at predetermined positions on the lower,left, or right side of the panel 1. As is described above, fixing byscrewing is not adopted on the upper side of the display panel 1.

Even on the upper side of the display panel 1, however, it is necessaryto position the panel 1 using a method that does not cause the problemof thickness on the upper side of the front frame 2. Without thispositioning, the display panel 1, which is not screwed to front frame 2,will fall off the frame 2, causing inconvenience during the time ofassembly or after-sale service. This embodiment makes it a feature tocarry out positioning of the display panel 1 on its upper side throughthe method as follows:

FIG. 3 illustrates elements on larger scale of the encircled part inaddition. In case of producing the front frame 2 through a mold formingfor example, a hook 201 is produced integrally with the front frame 2.When the display panel 1 is fitted to the front frame 2, the hook 201 isfirstly pushed up by the display panel 1 and its front end then getsinto the back of the display panel 1 by resilient force. Thus thedisplay panel 1 is approximately positioned so as not to fall off thefront frame 2. The hook 201 faces a part of the upper side of thedisplay panel 1 in the thicknesswise direction of the display panel 1and its front end faces a part of the back of the display panel 1. Notethat, while FIG. 3 illustrates two hooks 201, this is not a limitingcondition either.

In conventional case, there was a case in which, with the aim of fixingthe display panel 1 to the front frame 2 on four sides of the panel,separate fixing members were screwed to the front frame 2. The method ofusing screws, however, has the problem of making the four sides of thefront frame 2 thick as mentioned before. By contrast, this embodimentproduces the hooks 201, which take the place of these fixing members,integrally with the front frame 2, and hence it has an effect of costreduction by reducing the number of parts and, at the same time, aneffect of design improvement by thinning the front frame (on its upperside in particular).

FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view of an image display device in oneembodiment of the present invention, showing the section around the hook201 viewed from the right side of the image display device, here withthe back cover 3 fitted to the front frame 2.

The display panel 1 is held in position by means of a hook 201 possessedby the front frame 2. Note that the panel 1 and the hook 201 do notnecessarily have to be in direct contact with each other. The front endof the hook 201 only has to get into the back of the display panel 1. Asone of the features of this embodiment, the back cover 3 has a rib 301in the position facing the hook 201, that is to say, the hook 201 facesthe rib 301 on the side opposite to the one facing the display panel 1in its thicknesswise direction. It is needless to say that, since therib 301 can be produced integrally with the back cover 3, thearrangement does not constitute an element of increasing the number ofparts. The rib 301, after the back cover 3 has been fitted to the frontframe 2, so acts as to prevent the hook 201 from moving upward beyondpredetermined distance. This arrangement helps to prevent vibration orshock from causing the display panel 1 to come off the hook 201 with theresult of causing the panel 1 to fall off the frame 2. This arrangementfurther helps to ensure the setting of the display panel 1 into aprescribed position. Note that the hook 201 and the rib 301 do notnecessarily have to be in direct contact with each other. The front endof the hook 201 only has to be controlled so as not to move upwardbeyond predetermined distance.

The embodiment so far described is an example, not restricting thepresent invention. Every different embodiment worked out on the basis ofthe spirit of the invention falls therewithin.

While we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance withour invention, it should be understood that disclosed embodiments aresusceptible of changes and modifications without departing from thescope of the invention. Therefore, we do not intend to be bound by thedetails shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changesand modifications that fall within the ambit of the appended claims.

1. An image display device comprising a display panel for displayingimages, a front frame to which the display panel is to be fitted, and aback cover fitted to the front frame so as to cover the back of thedisplay panel, wherein the front frame has a hook for positioning thedisplay panel on the upper side of the display panel.
 2. The imagedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the hook faces a part ofthe upper side of the display panel in the thicknesswise direction ofthe display panel, the front end of the hook facing a part of the backof the display panel so as to position the display panel.
 3. The imagedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the hook is formedintegrally with the front frame.
 4. The image display device accordingto claim 1, wherein the back cover has a rib facing the hook on its sideopposite to the one facing the display panel in its thicknesswisedirection.
 5. The image display device according to claim 4, wherein therib is formed integrally with the back cover.